Scott Pruitt: 16 Ethics Investigations at EPA
EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigned after accumulating 16 simultaneous ethics investigations — including a $50/night lobbyist condo, a $43,000 soundproof phone booth, and using aides to seek a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned on July 5, 2018 — the shortest-serving EPA administrator in history — after accumulating at least 16 simultaneous ethics investigations. The scandals were breathtaking in their variety:
- Rented a Capitol Hill condo for $50/night from the wife of an energy lobbyist with business before the EPA
- Spent $43,000 on a soundproof phone booth (the GAO found this violated the Antideficiency Act)
- Spent $105,000 on first-class travel when coach was available
- Maintained secret calendars to hide meetings with industry lobbyists
- Used government aides to seek a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife
- Attempted to buy a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel
- Spent nearly $1 million on a personal security detail
While accumulating these scandals, Pruitt was simultaneously rolling back environmental protections, meeting secretly with the industries he was supposed to regulate, and using taxpayer money to fund a lifestyle of corruption that would have been farcical if it weren't real.
Sources & Evidence
People involved:Scott Pruitt